John McCain's Cabinet: Some Thoughts

The Republican National Convention is filled with all sorts of speakers, ranging from "Independent Democrats" like Joe Lieberman to hardcore conservatives like Fred Thompson. In fact, just about the only thing they have in common is that they all support John McCain. Oh... and most of them are unemployed politicians hoping for a job in John McCain's cabinet.

What's so special about the cabinet?

According to Wikipedia,

The United States Cabinet (usually simplified as "the Cabinet") is composed of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States

These folks wield power. Not as much as, say, the 1920s, but still powerful. Oh... and many of them, especially the Secretary of State, use the position as a stepping stone. Thomas Jefferson was the first Secretary of State, James Madison was Jefferson's, James Monroe was Madison's, and John Quincy Adams was Monroe's. Other folks who went on to take the national spotlight were Henry Clay, Martin Van Buren, Daniel Webster, Edward Everett, William Jennings Bryan, Henry Kissinger (Secretaries of State), Dick Cheney (Secretary of Defense), Robert Kennedy (Attorney General), Alexander Hamilton (Secretary of Treasury), Herbert Hoover (Secretary of Commerce), and Elizabeth Dole (Secretary of Labor). In short, being a cabinet member can bring you to higher places.

Who McCain wants to have

It's obvious that Joe Lieberman will have some sort of position in a McCain administration. He's one of McCain's biggest boosters. Of course, his main problem is that he still considers himself an Independent Democrat and caucuses with the Democrats a lot. But his speech last night at the RNC may signal a change in that policy. Lieberman attacked Democrats and praised Republicans, and Harry Reid is not happy right now. Additionally, there's a good place for Lieberman to fit right into a McCain administration: Secretary of State. He's a strong supporter of Israel and the war in Iraq, two very Republican features that McCain also backs immensly. He was the honorary co-chair of the 2004 Committee on the Present Danger, a NAFTA supporter (like McCain), and proposed the Department of Homeland Security.

Another very friendly face to McCain is Lindsey Graham, senator from South Carolina. Graham and McCain vote extremely similarly, and Graham supported McCain early on in the primaries (and indeed, did the same in 2000). He was co-chairman of McCain's 2008 bid. The question is, of course, whether he would prefer that job or his current job as senior senator from South Carolina (he once quipped "I've got the best job in America. Everybody elected to the Senate from South Carolina lives to be 100" when asked about his cabinet chances).

A more longshot choice is Mike Huckabee for Health and Human Services Secretary. He's a nice guy, but he's actually middle-of-the-road as far as social policies go. However, Huckabee is the guy who quite possibly handed John McCain the election. McCain is a loyal guy.

Who McCain should have

What most people don't know about Fred Thompson is that he co-chaired John McCain's 2000 campaign bid. And if you saw his speech last night, it's obvious that the big Tennessean is a strong McCain fan. He'd also be a perfect Attorney General. His law career is flawless. In fact, Thompson was the minority counsel in the infamous Watergate Hearings in 1973. And he's a strong conservative, if you didn't notice.

There's also a little known CEO named John Chambers. He's head of Cisco, and he has, according to Wikipedia, "grown the company from $1.2 billion in annual revenues to its current run-rate of approximately $40 billion". This is a guy who I can see running the US economy. The question is, of course, if Chambers actually wants the job. He is currently a co-chair for McCain's bid, but he's also a powerful CEO at a great company.

Mitt Romeny is another strong choice economically. If Chambers doesn't want to join up with McCain, Mitt Romney could be a very interesting choice. His economic plan was his main strength during the primaries and he has a lot of business experience, making him an interesting pick for Secretary of the Treasury. He's also come out whole heartedly for the McCain campaign, indicating that he would be very interested in working with McCain. However, there's the problem that he might not be interested in a cabinet spot (The Journal reports that "he would not relish being 'soldiered by 27-year-olds in the White House.... That is not an attractive position, in my view.'").

Who McCain shouldn't have

Carly Fiorina keeps on coming up as a possible Secretary of the Treasury. That's the main reason I support keeping the DEA: maybe they'll get around to Fiorina's supporters. Because if they haven't noticed, Carly was fired from HP. Fired. So what her supporters want is a washed up corporate executive who was fired from her position to be the chief economic advisor in an economy slowly turning into a recession. Right.

Equally ludicrous is fellow former CEO Meg Whitman. She wasn't fired, but she left during some pretty rocky times. According to MSN Money's Editorial,

Is it time for Whitman to step down? If you're an eBay shareholder, you might think so. The stock was abysmal in 2006 and continued to disappointment in 2007, staying mostly in the $30-$35 range when companies like Amazon saw shares go through the roof. (Ebay closed yesterday at $32.49.)

She was a lousy CEO, responsible for such mergers as the infamous Skype acquisition. The core product, the auction marketplace, is slowing down. The company is being criticized for being out of touch with its sellers. But somehow, this is the woman that some want to head the US economy.

While we're talking about bad Secretary of Treasury options, let's look at Phil Gramm. He sounds like he has sound economic plans, and in fact he might. But he's tainted with scandal after scandal. First, he was involved in the "Enron Loophole Legislation". Then, he was blamed for helping spread the mortgage crisis. Then, he was asked to step down from his position on the McCain campaign after comments about a "mental recession". Bad guy to have around a reformer.

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